Days of diverting cocoa inputs are over’ – COCOBOD CEO

The Ghana Cocoa Board, also known as COCOBOD, has announced the end of days when cocoa inputs could be diverted without detection. Dr Randy Abbey, the CEO of COCOBOD, warned smugglers and saboteurs that their activities will no longer go unnoticed, thanks to a new digital monitoring system introduced under the relaunched Free Fertiliser Distribution Programme.

Speaking at the relaunch event in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, Dr Abbey assured that every consignment, from warehouse to the farmer, will be tracked. He emphasized that any individual found diverting, hoarding, reselling, or smuggling these inputs will be dealt with according to the law. The digital system will only allow registered cocoa farmers to receive inputs, with their eligibility determined by their farm size and condition.

The new arrangement is expected to eliminate loopholes that allowed subsidized and free agricultural inputs to find their way into the open market or be smuggled across borders. The system will also prevent impersonation and eliminate fictitious names from beneficiary records. Every bag issued will be linked to the recipient's identity, creating a record of every consignment and enabling officials to monitor the process and identify irregularities as they occur.